Tuesday November 1, 2011

1. TuesdayNovember 1, 2011 (The Birth and Evolution of the Earth; Earth’s Spheres)

2. The Launch Pad Tuesday, 11/1/11 List three things that the Earth has but the Moon does not have. an atmosphere liquid water life

4. Announcements Any remediations that you want to go on this six-weeks must be done by Friday! We will have a Quiz tomorrow!

5. William Souza has caught not just two, but three birds with one stone with this photo he took from Sao Paolo, Brazil. William captured this photo of the Crescent Moon, Pleiades and Mercury on April 26, 2009. Astrophoto

6. The Birth of a Planet The Nebular Hypothesis assumes a flat, disk shape with the protosun (pre-Sun) at the center. The inner planets begin to form from metallic and rocky substances. The larger outer planets began forming from fragments of ices (H2O, CO2,and other compounds.) Iron and nickel melted and sank to form the metallic core while rocky material rose to form the mantle and Earth’s crust.

7. Early Evolution of Earth Flattening and spinning. Gravity, shock waves, condensing, “dust bunny” analogy. Origin of Earth - The Nebular Hypothesis • Most researchers believe that Earth and the other planets formed at essentially the same time • Our solar system evolved from an enormous rotating cloud called the “solar nebula.” (A) • The nebula was composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. • About 5 billion years ago the nebula began to contract. (B) • The nebula assumed a flat, disk shape (accretion disk) with the protosun (pre-Sun) at the center. (C) • The inner planets begin to form from metallic and rocky clumps. (D) • The larger outer planets began forming from fragments with a high percentage of ices • Today (E)

8. The Formation of the Early Earth Figure 12.5

9. Early Evolution of Earth Formation of Earth’s Layered Structure • As Earth formed, the decay of radioactive elements and heat from high-velocity impacts caused the temperature to increase. • Iron and nickel began to melt and sink toward the center • Lighter rocky components floated outward, toward the surface • Gaseous material escaped from Earth’s interior to produce the primitive atmosphere

10. Cores discovered by tracking seismic waves traveling through the Earth.

11. The Grand Oasis in Space Apollo 8 Christmas Eve, 1968

12. Unique Fragile Vulnerable

13. Earth’s “Spheres” Geosphere Hydrosphere Cryosphere Atmosphere Biosphere Lithosphere Asthenosphere Pedosphere

14. Earth’s “Spheres” Geosphere the solid matter of the Earth, as distinct from the seas, plants, animals, and surrounding atmosphere

15. Geosphere Geosphere

16. Earth’s “Spheres” Hydrosphere The ocean is the most prominent feature of the hydrosphere, as it covers nearly 71% of Earth’s surface and contains about 97% of Earth’s water The hydrosphere also includes fresh water found in streams, lakes, and glaciers, as well as that found underground.

17. Figure 1.10 Hydrosphere

18. Earth’s “Spheres” Cryosphere The cryosphere is very important to our understanding of climate change. Cryosphere This is the frozen part of the Earth's surface, including the polar ice caps, continental ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost.

19. Cryosphere Cryosphere

20. Earth’s “Spheres” Atmosphere • Our atmosphere is the thin, tenuous blanket of air that surrounds Earth. • One-half of the atmosphere lies below 3.5 miles (18 500 feet.) • Our atmosphere shields us from harmful solar rays.

21. Atmosphere Atmosphere

22. Earth’s “Spheres” Earth’s biosphere includes all life, and is concentrated near the surface in a zone that extends from the ocean floor upward for several kilometers into the atmosphere. Biosphere

23. Biosphere

24. Earth’s “Spheres” The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of solid Earth that can be broken. It includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth. Lithosphere

26. Earth’s “Spheres” • The asthenosphere is the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle. Asthenosphere

27. Asthenosphere Asthenosphere

28. Earth’s “Spheres” Pedosphere The pedosphere is the uppermost part of the lithosphere that chemically reacts to the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere through the soil forming process.

29. Pedosphere Pedosphere